Risen

Risen

Starring Joseph Fiennes, Tom Felton, Peter Firth, Cliff Curtis

Directed by Kevin Reynolds

The Story:
Roman tribune Clavius (Joseph Fiennes) is tasked by Pontius (Peter Firth) to protect the tomb belonging to Yeshua (Cliff Curtis), because he fears that his followers will steal the body and claim he has risen from the dead, as he said he would do.  Clavius assigns two soldiers to the tomb, and in the morning they discover the stone rolled away, and the body gone.

Clavius, with his partner Lucius (Tom Felton), investigate the disappearance by searching the tomb, questioning the guards, and finding anyone in town who talks about the resurrected Yeshua.  Their investigation leads them to Yeshua's disciples, and an event that Clavius cannot begin to understand, which shakes the very foundations of what he believes.

The Synopsis:
The story of Jesus has been set to film for decades.  From "The Passion of the Christ" to "The Robe" to "The Greatest Story Ever Told," pretty much everyone has heard the tale and seen it on the big screen.  With "Risen," the traditional story takes a bold new turn, as instead of it being a full-on faith movie, it's shot by the perspective of an unbeliever.  This adds a new dimension to the greatest story ever told, as it doesn't require you to fully believe outright, but, like Clavius, examine the evidence and determine for yourself if it's real or not.

The film takes on a "CSI" aspect as Clavius investigates the "crime scene," interviews the witnesses, and brings in possible suspects for questioning.  It's all very methodical and Joseph Fiennes plays Clavius as a man without an agenda - he doesn't strive to either prove the body was taken or if Yeshua really has risen, he just wants to do his job and do it perfectly.  Throughout the film he carries a healthy dose of skepticism until he discovers Yeshua alive and well (sorry if that's a spoiler for you, but since this happened literally 2,000 years ago, it's not that big of a surprise), and even then he struggles with what he's actually seeing and the facts that point to a contrary opinion. 

There are some small hangups I have about the film, but they're rather minuscule compared to the film as a whole:
-When they investigate the empty tomb, Clavius and Lucius finds the Shroud of Turin, with the image of Yeshua imprinted on the cloth; the issue is that the image is clearly the photographic negative reproduction, instead of the actual image
-Speaking of the Shroud of Turin, there's still speculation over whether or not it was an actual thing, and not a fake
-The film is PG-13, so they have to leave out the violence and gore that "The Passion" did so well; in particular the first battle scene you see swords going into people, but it's clearly not even penetrating since there's no blood on the swords at all
-The final scene with Yeshua and his disciples ends with him ascending to heaven, but the CGI was terribly poor quality
-The costumes looked like those you would find in any church closet that they store them in until their traditional Easter play commences

As I said, I know I nitpick the negatives, but overall the film had a fresh story, a compelling premise and the unparalleled acting abilities of Joseph Fiennes, all of which give this tale new life and a fresh viewpoint.

The Summary:
Giving the greatest story ever told from the viewpoint of a non-believer, "Risen" rises from its predecessors and offers a refreshing new take on the tale told throughout the decades.

The Score: A-